


Ford's Second Warning

by mythomagicallydelicious



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Ford doesn't really know when to stop, Ford has made his notes about the family in Journal 3, Gen, Pre-Weirdmageddon, Stan Twins fight, Stan is protective of Soos, but hasn't spent much time with them yet besides, his son-ployee, optional second ending, slight language, sometimes, that's why he got a second warning, with slightly more hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 12:05:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11989446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythomagicallydelicious/pseuds/mythomagicallydelicious
Summary: Ford questions Stan's relationship to Soos and things go south quickly.





	1. Chapter 1

“What’s up with you and Soos?” Stan jumped at the question and sudden appearance of his brother. He’d been sitting at the kitchen table, gluing a new attraction together when Ford entered silently and asked his question.

Stan grunted and went back to focusing on keeping the glue off his fingers. “Whaddaya mean? It’s Soos. He works here.” Stan could tell Ford was stealing glances at him, even as he was making coffee over by the counter. Stan shrugged and kept on gluing.

“No, I mean, what is there between you two?” Ford asked, turning from the chugging coffee maker to face Stan directly, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the counter.

Stan felt irritation bubble beneath his skin. Why’d his brother have to look so damn superior like that? He tried to keep his answer as curt as possible, hoping Ford would take the hint and stop pestering him over Soos. “He’s my best employee. Need anything else?” Stan set down the glue and situated the head of a rabbit on the body of a fish. He set it to the side to dry and busied himself with picking up the supplies on the table, avoiding Ford’s eyes.

He heard the disgusted sigh and could practically _feel_ his brother rolling his eyes. “Come on, Stanley. You can act as dumb as you are later. You know what I mean. What is Soos’ _deal_?”

Stan dropped his supplies back on the table with a loud _THUNK_. The way Ford said _deal_ pushed him over the edge. He didn’t even try to hide his shaking arms as he turned towards Ford and pointed a finger in his face.

“What’s his deal?! What’s _your_ deal? Why do you care what’s going on around here? You haven’t showed one speck ‘a interest of what I’ve been doing here for the last thirty years, but my _employee_ is what’s drawing you in? Screw off, Stanford, and leave my s—I mean, leave Soos out of it!” Stan was red in the face and pushed Ford into the cabinets behind them. Ford stumbled back, surprised by his brother’s outburst.

Surprised, but rapidly getting angry and defensive. “You’ve turned my house into a side show attraction! _Of course_ I don’t want to know how badly you screwed up this place since I’ve been gone.” Ford pushed himself off from the counter and got right in Stan’s face. His brother didn’t flinch back from the invasion of space. Somehow that only made Ford angrier. “And I’m asking because that decent young man has practically idolized you for no understandable reason. You’re nothing but a conman and a crook, and you’ve not worked an honest day in your life. I was trying to figure out why a guy like that would want to have anything to do with an old fraud like you!” Ford yelled, pushing Stanley back.

His brother faltered half a step before surging forward and throwing a left hook. Ford dodged and let Stan’s momentum push him over, falling to the ground. Ford could see they were both red in the face. In the back of his mind he knew he should help his brother up or at the very least just go back to the basement. He did neither.

Stan wasn’t as quick as he used to be. He knows he can’t get the drop on his brother with plain force either. Not with how strong his brother is now. So he goes for the only advantage he might have left. _Old man card._ He’s still angry, but he lets his quivering muscles look like it’s from tiredness, not rage.

Stan tries to stand up, getting one leg under him, latching onto the counter for support before falling forward again, slumped against the lower cabinet. “Ai! Oh, ouch. Ngh…” Stan turned his head away from where Ford stood staring at him. He felt a spark of dark satisfaction in his chest when he saw the flash of worry cross his brother’s face. Ford leaned down over him and Stan cast his eyes down to the floor, waiting for the perfect moment.

Ford hadn’t meant to let it get this far. “Stanley?” Back in the day Ford could tell when Stan was faking anything—a lie, an injury, sickness to get out of school—but now all Ford saw was pain on the old man’s features. He started to kneel down and offer a hand of assistance.

Stan looked up at Ford at his name and saw Ford kneeling to help him up. Stanley reached forward to grasp at Ford’s forearm. He used this leverage to twist it behind his brother and pull himself over, slamming Ford onto the floor next to where he’d just been. Stan grabbed Ford’s other arm and jacked it tightly behind his brother’s back. Stan had him pinned tightly.

With a vicious grin, Stan leaned down over a struggling Ford and spoke to him. “I may be a liar and a thief, but if I’ve done anything good in the last thirty years, anything worth something, then it’d be taking care of that guy. Soos is a good kid and I’ll be damned if you get off on saying who he should and shouldn’t be around. You don’t know a dam thing about him.” Stan took on a mocking tone of Ford’s voice and said, “ _What’s Soos’s deal?”_ Stan dropped Ford’s voice and ground his knee a little further into Ford’s back, eliciting a gasp of pain from Ford. “Soos is like a son to me. I have done more for him than our piece of shit dad ever did for me. So what if I’ve never—what’d you say? Never done an honest day’s work in my life?—well screw that. I’ve done an honest job helping him.”

Stan tightened his hold even more, feeling Ford’s shoulders strain harder against his vise-like grip. “And if you know what’s good for ya, you’ll stay the hell away from my family. Consider this your second warning. You won’t get another.”

And with that, Stan lifted his brother up by the shoulders and slammed him down on the floor again. Stan jumped up and left the kitchen, making quick strides to the front door and slamming it behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optional second ending; what happens after Stan leaves.

Ford had scrambled up off the floor as soon as he regained his breath, but he already heard the sound of Stan’s old car driving away. Cursing, he stretched out his arms and felt for any damage. His back was sore but otherwise he was fine. He turned to the coffee machine that was still glugging and poured himself some of the fresh brew.

It tasted horrible. Coughing and sputtering, Ford tried to get the taste out of his mouth and his breath back. Somewhere in the mess of him hacking, he didn’t notice the front door open again, nor the handy man entering the kitchen. He felt a large hand on his back and whirled around, ready to defend himself, when he was met with the eyes of the man who caused the argument this morning.

“Hiya, other Mr. Pines. You need some water or something?” Soos held out a cup and Ford shook his head. In another few seconds he had his breathing back under control.

“No. I’m fine, Soos. Your concern is unnecessary.” Ford shook off Soos’s concerned hand and proceeded to dump his coffee in the sink, ignoring the larger man behind him.

“Oh, well, there’s your problem, other Mr. Pines! You made coffee the wrong way.” Soos chuckled and unplugged the device. “Do you want me to make you a new pot?”

Ford could feel irritation bubbling within him. “I may have been gone from this dimension for some time, but I’m sure I remember how to make coffee correctly, young man.”

Soos took no notice of his stern voice and just smiled instead. “Oh, I wasn’t trying to doubt you, sir. But this machine is temperamental. You gotta know how to treat it with respect, and just the right way to add the ingredients in order to get the desirable outcome.” Soos started prepping the coffee maker, giving it a series of pats and bumps that made no sense to Ford, before adding the water and beans gently.

Once Ford had a cup of Soos’s coffee, he could tell an immediate difference. Ford allowed the young gopher-like man a small smile. “Thank you, Soos. This tastes much better. Perhaps you could show me how to make the coffee another time? Or write down the instructions?”

Soos grinned unexpectedly large at Ford. Then he turned solemn and nodded. “It would be my honor, other Mr. Pines.”

“Call me Ford.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like with the kids, Ford slowly starts getting to know Soos as well. 
> 
> This was Ford's second warning to stay away from his family. When Weirdmageddon starts, Stan blames Ford for putting the family in danger, and that's another reason why he doesn't want to rescue him. He'd given his warnings, but Ford had cozied up to the family anyway, and now they were paying for it. Strike three, he doesn't want to rescue Ford for ignoring him and his warnings.


End file.
